Leaderboard: Playoffs head to TPC Boston

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Ian Poulter (+15000) … The 45-year-old from England just beat up on Rory McIlroy, Cameron Smith and fellow Masters Sleeper, Lanto Griffin, in the Group Stage of the Match Play. It’s the nearest object in his rearview mirror, so there’s enough positive reinforcement of his form upon arrival. His accuracy off the tee never hurts, but his experience in knowing where to place the ball in the fairways at Augusta National generates a higher expectation. He’s also cashed in all but one of 15 appearances and recorded top 25s in the last two. Lanto Griffin (+20000) … When the last Masters was contested in April in 2019, he was 521st in the Official World Golf Ranking. Yes, the likes of Collin Morikawa, Viktor Hovland and Matthew Wolff still were in college, and Will Zalatoris was outside the top 1,500 in the OWGR, but Griffin’s trajectory never has resembled that of a wunderkind. Now 32 years of age and in just his third season with a PGA TOUR card, he’s put the boom in late bloomer. This is his second appearance after predictably missing the cut in his debut in November. His steady game improves nearer the hole and his consistency week after week remains one of the most underrated narratives going. Dylan Frittelli (+15000) … For a guy who misses a fair share of cuts, he capitalizes on the ones he makes. Since play resumed last summer, the 30-year-old South African has recorded four top 10s and another five top 25s worldwide. His most recent showcase was an escape from the Group Stage in a pod with Tony Finau, Jason Kokrak and Will Zalatoris. Frittelli also finished T5 in his second appearance at Augusta National in November. He co-led with an opening 65 and ranked second in par-4 scoring for the week. Mackenzie Hughes (+25000) … It’s been four years since his first and, until now, his only experience of competing at Augusta National. The 30-year-old is much-better equipped to handle the rigors of the course and attempt to become the second Canadian ever to win a major. Of course, it was Mike Weir at the 2003 Masters who broke the seal for their homeland. Hughes is rested since surviving Group Stage of the Match Play. His pod included Webb Simpson and Paul Casey, a pair with positions in my Power Rankings. Hughes is 12th on TOUR in Strokes Gained: Putting and T23 in par-5 scoring. Sebastián Muñoz (+15000) … One of the darlings of the 2019-20 season never fell lower than 16th in the FedExCup once he started his campaign, but he’s yet to crack the top 50 of the Official World Golf Ranking. Positioned 63rd upon arrival of this second appearance, he can’t complain about his first in November. En route to a T19, he ranked T11 in greens in regulation and seventh in converting those chances into par breakers. Since turning 28 early in 2021, the Colombian is 7-for-9 with a sample size-best T9 last week in San Antonio. For the week, he slotted T20 in GIR, second in proximity and third in converting his GIR into birdies or better. NOTE: Sleeper is a relative term, so Rob uses unofficial criteria to determine who qualifies. Each of the following usually is determined to be ineligible for this weekly staple: Winners of the tournament on the current host course; winners in the same season; recent major champions; top 50 in the Official World Golf Ranking; recent participants of team competitions. Odds were sourced on Tuesday, April 6 at 5 a.m. ET. For live odds visit betmgm. Visit BetMGM.com for Terms and Conditions. 21+ years of age or older to wager. CO, IA, IN,MI, NJ, NV,PA, TN, VA or WV only. Excludes Michigan Disassociated Persons. Please Gamble Responsibly. Gambling Problem? Call 1-800-522-4700 (CO, NV, VA), 1-800-270-7117 for confidential help (MI), 1-800-GAMBLER (NJ, PA & WV), 1-800-BETS OFF (IA), Call or Text the Tennessee REDLINE: 800-889-9789 (TN), or call 1-800-9-WITH-IT (IN).

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GREENSBORO, N.C. – Byeong Hun An shot a third-round 66 to keep his lead at the Wyndham Championship and his next bogey will be his first, but hang on, this is far from over. Consider just how precarious that lead is: Webb Simpson, who ran away with THE PLAYERS Championship last year and won the 2011 Wyndham, is just a shot back. So is Brice Garnett (66), who also knows how to win, having captured the Corales Puntacana Resort & Club Championship last season. An has not won on the PGA TOUR, but lost in playoffs at the 2018 Memorial Tournament presented by Nationwide and the 2016 Zurich Classic of New Orleans. Sedgefield Country Club has already yielded a 61 this week (and a 59 last year). Paul Casey (66), the highest-ranking player here at eighth in the FedExCup, is three back.  So is Viktor Hovland (64), the highly touted new pro out of Oklahoma State. What do we make of all that? Well, only that Sunday could be wild, especially given how many players will be competing not just for the trophy, but also for their livelihoods. RELATED: Hovland eyes PGA TOUR membership | Spieth misses 54-hole cut | Weir sees good signs at Wyndham “It’s got an old Q School feel,â€� said Ryan Armour (65), who came into this week at 117th in the FedExCup, just inside the top-125 cutoff to make the first stop of the FedExCup Playoffs, THE NORTHERN TRUST at Liberty National next week. He’s one of the lucky ones. His victory at the Sanderson Farms Championship last season gives him full playing privileges through next season regardless of what happens Sunday. Ditto for Garnett. He’s a precarious 121st in the FedExCup, meaning his spot in the upcoming Playoffs isn’t secure, but his 2018 Puntacana win wrapped up his TOUR card through 2020. “With the win exemption,â€� Garnett said, “I’m just trying to play to win the golf tournament.â€� So is An, a 27-year-old pro from South Korea who attended Cal-Berkeley. At 82nd in the FedExCup starting the week, he was in no danger of missing THE NORTHERN TRUST. But his slim lead at Sedgefield? That’s dangerous. “One shot is basically nothing,â€� An said. “Like today, Brice made birdie at the first and I made par, and that’s one shot right there.â€� An would be the 14th first-time winner this season, and would climb to FedExCup No. 27, giving him a clear path into the 30-man field at the season-ending TOUR Championship. Also, should he win and keep a clean card, he would be the first since Lee Trevino (1974 Greater New Orleans Open) to win an individual TOUR event without making a bogey over 72 holes. “Just keep my head up and my confidence pretty high,â€� An said of his plan for Sunday. “I’ve been hitting it pretty good, so need to not make any silly mistakes. That’s what I’m trying to do.â€� Instead of playing with Garnett, as he did Saturday, An will be joined by Simpson in the final group Sunday, as Simpson was the first player to finish at 16 under. That could be important, as Simpson is more seasoned (five TOUR wins, including THE PLAYERS and 2012 U.S. Open) and knows what it takes to win the Wyndham. He shot 18 under to do so in ’11. “There’s something special about your first win,â€� he said. “Something special about Greensboro for me. I’ve been talking about it all week, the support’s been fantastic. There’s a lot of reasons I want to win, but I got a lot of work to do, especially with how many guys are within a few of the lead.â€� Casey, who has won the Valspar Championship the last two years running, is 14 under and three back. A win would move him from eighth to fourth in the Wyndham Rewards bonus pool, but he knows it will take something better than the 66 he produced Saturday. “My goal was five (under) a day,â€� Casey said. “So, I’ve slipped behind that schedule, but I don’t think it’s going to be low enough. Scoring is so good. The leaderboard is stacked with older guys like myself and younger guys – Viktor’s up there, I see. I actually haven’t studied the leaderboard thoroughly, but it’s going to be good. Looking forward to it.â€� He’s not the only one.

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